Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A MULTILAYER, 8TRETCHED HEAT-SEALABLE POLYPROPYLENE FILN
COMBINING GOOD 8URFACE 8LIP WITH IMPROVED BARRIER PROPER-
TIES
This invention relates to a multilayer, stretched
heat-sealable polypropylene film which combines good
surface slip and an improved barrier effect against water
vapor with reduced global migration. The characteristic
features of the film according to the invention are a base
layer of polypropylene, hydrocarbon resin and erucic acid
amide as lubricant, two layers of highly isotactic polypro-
pylene which surround the base layer and which are free
from hydrocarbon resin and erucic acid amide (hereinafter
referred to as jacket layers) and two heat-sealable surface
layers of an olefinic ¢opolymer or terpolymer containing
erucic acid amide.
If polypropylene films are to be used in high-speed
packaging machines, films having good surface slip have to
lS be used. High-speed packaging machines are used in par-
ticular in the wrapping of cigarette packets (up to 800
packets per minute). Polydimethyl siloxanes are normally
used as lubricants in the production of high-slip poly-
propylene films. Thus, EP-B 0 027 586 describes a poly-
propylene film of high surface slip in which polydimethylslloxane is used as lubricant. Although the film shows
good surface slip properties, its water vapor barrier
~;effect is unsatisfactory.
EP-B 247 898 d-scribes a polypropylene film whi¢h has
improved mechanical and optical properties through the
addition of hydrocarbon resin. The film in question also
shows improved barrler properties against water vapor and
oxygen.
Unfortunately, the surface slip of this film is far
from optimal owing to the use of tacky hydrocarbon resin
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(the main application for hydrocarbon resins is in hotmelt
- adhesives).
EP-A 468 333 describes a polypropylene fil~ containing
hydrocarbon resin which has improved barrier properties
against water vapor and oxygen coupled with improved
smoothness of passage through machinery.
Nowever, this improved smoothness of passage is still
inadequate for high-speed packaging machines. In addition,
a film with a content of hydrocarbon resin (10 to 40% by
lo~ weight) has very: high global migration values.
The global migration is a measure of the total quan-
tity of particles which migrate from the film into the
cont-nts of the pack (particularly foods) during contact of
the film therewith~
15Films of the type according to the invention have an
- at least 30% lower global migration than three-}ayer films
wlth a comparable wa;t-r vapor barrier effect. Accordingly,
the problem addressed~ by the present invention was to
prov~de a ~ilm which ~ouId ~how very good surface 81ip for
20~ u e in high-speed~paokag1ng ma¢hine~ ¢oupled with good
water;vapor barrier~propertie~ and low global migration.
-This~problem has ~been solved by a film a¢¢ording to
¢l_im l.~ Pre~erred~eatures are that the base l~yer of
polypropylene additionally ¢ontains a hydrocarbon reain in
25~ a;quantity~o~ l to~40% by weight and, mor- parti¢ularly, ln
a~quantity o~ 5 ~to~30% by weight (both here and in the
ollowing, percentages by weight are based on the par-
tlcùlar layer) a~nd~ 0.05 to 0.5% by weight erucic acid
amldè. The ba~e layer pre~erably ¢onsists of an isotactlc
~; 30polypropylene having a melting point o~ 160-C to 170-C
which i8 characterized~in that it has a melt flow index
(MFI) in the range ~rom 1 g/10 mins. to 9 g/10 mlns. and,
more particularly, ln the range ~ro~ 1.6 to 4.2 g/10 mins.,
a~ measured at 230'C under a }oad o~ 2.16 ~g ~DIN 53 735).
35The low molecular weight hydrocarbon re~in i~ a resin
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which is characterized by a softening point of >130C (ASTM
E 28). It is known from the literature (EP 468 333) that
the incorporation of such a resin leads to improvements in
water vapor barrier properties, optical properties and
mechanical properties. The hydrocarbon resins may be
divided into three groups, namely: petroleum resins,
terpene resins, and coal tar resins. Within the group of
petroleum resins, cyclopentadiene, styrene and methyl
styrene resins are preferably used. The resins in question
10 are oligomeric polymers or copolymers having molecular ~ -
weights below 2000 g/mol. Since the polypropylene films
are usually made colorless and transparent, the resins have ~ -
to be completely hydrogenated in the presence of a cata-
lyst. Terpene resins essentially contain oligomeric
hydrogenated polymers of the monomers pinene, ~-pinene and
dipentene (D, L limonene) and are also used for the modifi-
¢ation of polypropylene. Hydrogenated oligomeric cyclo-
pentadiene re6ins (HOCP) having softening points of or
above 130-C are particularly suitable for improving the
water vapor barrier effect of polypropylene.
The erucic acid amide preferably used is characterized
in that it has an amide content of at least 98% (as deter-
mined by IR spectroscopy) and an erucic acid content of at
least 90% (as determined by gas chromatography).
1~ 25 The ~acket layers are free from hydrocarbon resin and
erucic acid amide and contain a highly isotactic polypro-
pylene which is characterized by an isotacticity of greater
than 94% (as mea-ured by 13C-NMR, J.C. Randall, J. Polym.
Sci.: J. Polym. Phys, Ed. 12, 703-712 (1974) and 14, 1693-
1700 (1976)). A material having a melting point of 158 to
170-C is preferred. The thickness of the jacket layers is
in the range from O.S ~m to 2 ~m.
To guarantee smooth passage through machinery ¢oupled
with good sealing properties, additives have to be incor-
porated in the sealing or surface layers. Among the many
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materials which may be used for such layers, the following ~ -
are preferred~
- statistical propylene/ethylene copolymers
5 - statistical propylene/l-butene copolymers -~
- statistical propylene/ethylene/olefin terpolymers
- mixtures of two or three of the polymers mentioned
above.
~- 10 A copolymer containing 90 to 99% polypropylene and 1.0
~- to 10% polyethylene is particularly preferred. This ~- -
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sealing layer material is characterized by a meltinq point
in the range from llO-C to 150-C and, more partieularly, in
the range from 120-C to 140-C.
15Antistatie agents, lubricants and antiblocking agents
are used as additives for improving smoothness of passage
through machinery.
Antistatie agents are substanees of which part of the
mo}eeule is hydrophilic and which have a long-chain hydro-
phobic hydrocarbon radieal. In the films, these substancesare oriented in such a way that the hydrophilic part is
able to accumulate water at the surfaee of the film,
resulting in a reduetion in surfaee resistanee whieh
ultimately mak~s up ~the antistatie ef~eet. Preferred
25~ antistatie agents are~ ethoxylatQd amines, N-(Cl2~-alkyl)-
N'~,N"-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-amines in partieular eombining
safeness for U8Q in the food industry with an antistatie
effect. .~ .,','"' ~,,
Carboxylie aeid amides are used as lubrieants.
30 Typieal examples are erueie aeid amide and oleie aeid ~;
amide. Polymers from the group of polyalkyl siloxanes are
also used. It has surprisingly been found that polydi-
methyl siloxane does not have a good effeet in films
eontaining hydroearbon resin wherQa~ the use of erueie aeid
3S amide in a eoneentration o~ 0.05 to 0.5% by weight ~basQd
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on the surface layer), in conjunction with the five-layer
structure, leads to films having good surface slip.
Preferred antiblocking agents are silicon dioxide,
silicates or polymers which are immiscible with the raw
materials used for the surface layers (for example polycar-
bonate, polyamide, polymethyl methacrylate). SiO2 above all
in a concentration of 0.1 to 0.3% by weight (based on the
surface layer) has proved to be a good antiblocking agent
for the high-slip polypropylene film containing hydrocarbon
resin.
The films according to~the invention may be produced
by standard methods, such as lamination, coating or melt
co-extrusion. After solidification of the thick film on
casting rollers, the film is longitudinally stretched in a
ratio of 4:1 to 7:1 at a temperature of 120C to 150-C.
The stretching ratio in the transverse direction is prefer-
ably from 8:1 to 12:1, the film being transversely stretch-
ed at a temperature in the range from 130-C to 170-C. The
subsequent heat-fixing step is preferably carried out at a
temperature of l-C to 40-C below the transverse stretching
temperature. To guarantee the affinity of the substantial-
ly apolar film surface for printing inks, the fiIm has to
~; be subjected to a corona ~spray) pretreatment. In this
way, atmospheric oxygen i8 incorporated in the surface of
the ~ilm in the form of carbonyl, epoxide, ether or alcohol
groups. Other methods for the pretreatment of polypropy-
~ ~ ~ lene films are flame pretreatment, plasma pretreatment and
;~ fluorine pretreatment.
Exumple 1
A biaxially oriented film (surface stretching ratio45:1; longitudinal stretching temperature 142-C; transverse
stretching temperature 160-C) produced by the method
described above had the following structure ~all quantities
35 in % by weight are based on the particular layer):
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Total thickness: 25 ~m
Surface laYers
Thickness: 1 ~m
Material: Propylene/ethylene copolymer containing 3.5%
ethylene, MFI: 5.0 g/10 mins., 0.125% SiO2, mean
particle size: 2.0 ~m, 0.15% erucic acid amide,
amide content >98%, erucic acid content >90% ~- -
.
Jacket laYers
Thickness: 1 ~m
;~ Material: Highly isotactic polypropylene: isotacticity~
97%
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lS Core layer:
Thiekness: 21 ~m
Material: 69.85% isotaetie polypropylene, MFI: 3.0 g/10
mins.
30% hydroearbon resin master bateh (based on i~
polypropylene, resin eontent 50%), softening
point: 140-C; the hydroearbon resin is a hydro
genated oligomerie eye}opentadiene resin, ~
0.15% by weight erueie aeid amide; amide eontent ~ ;
>98%, erueie aeid eontent ~90%.
Ex~ple 2
A film was produeed in the same way as in Example 1
exeept that the eore layer eontained 0.2% by weight erueie ~;
aeid amide.
Byalllpl- 3 ~:
....
A film was produeed in the same way as in Example 1
exeept that the eore layer eontained 0.25% by weight erueie
aeid amide.
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comparison Example 1
A film was produced in the same way as in Example 1,
except that it contained no erucic acid amide;in its core
or its surface layers, instead the surface layers contained
0.7% by weight polydimethyl siloxane.
Compari~on Example 2
A film was produced in the same way as in Example 1,
except that it contained no erucic acid amide in its core
I0 or its surface layers, instead the surface layers contained
0.3% by weight polydimethyl siloxane.
Compari~on Bx~mple 3
A three-layer film was produced with surface layers
and a core layer as in Comparison Example 1, but no jacket
layers.
The following Table shows that a film of the type
according to the invention has considerable advantages in
regard to surface slip for the same water vapor barrier
effect.
,.~, .
Wv.imp./g/m2d Friction
coefficient
Example 1 0.60 0.28
Example 2 0.67 0.26
Example 3 0.62 0.25
:.
Comparison Example 1 0.59 0.37 '
Comparison Example 2 0.63 0.43
Comparison Example 3 0.62 0.48
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Measuring methods
Determination of imPermeability to water vaDor:
Impermeability to water vapor was determined in ~ : :
accordance with DIN 53 122, Part 2, at 23C/85% relative
air humidity difference.
Determination of friction~
Friction behavior (film/film) was measured on the
pretreated sides one week after production in accordance
with DIN 53 375. ~ ~;
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